Prime Day is the retail and logistics giant, Amazon’s, biggest PR scheme; last year, the sale brought in $2.4 billion. But this year, things did not go according to plan.
Amazon workers have seized the opportunity to deal a major blow to the corporation. On May 16, Spanish Amazon workers called for an international strike on the website, amazonenlucha.wordpress.com. Major unions organized across Europe, with workers in Spain, Poland, Italy, and Germany participating in the strike. Consumers (who are mostly fellow workers) showed solidarity with a boycott, intensifying the blow.
The action is a forceful example of international coordination, demonstrating the power of the global working class; this is a power that is only beginning to be tested in our era. By any measure, the strike significantly affected Amazon’s ability to fulfill shipments because strike participation was so high. For example, an estimated 96% of the workers at the San Fernando warehouse outside Madrid participated.
The strike also comes at a time when Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, has entered into a new wealth bracket. He now has $150 billion. This wealth is generated by the thousands of Amazon workers throughout the world, who are increasingly raising their voices about the harsh working conditions they face. They report exhaustion, heavy workplace surveillance, isolation, inability to take bathroom breaks, frequent workplace injuries, and more. Despite these hardships, they are setting an example of struggle for the entire world proletariat!